Tomorrow is December 1st. The season is beginning. Gathering, reminiscing, reflecting, giving … these are all top of mind. A month ago I was in Nicaragua. When I am there there is a different energy that flows through me. Yes, I’m on vacation. Yes, I am in a tropical paradise. But I am fundamentally still me and it floors me how different “me” can feel there. Essentially, Nicaragua allows me to fully relax into me. That may make no sense to you, unless you are reading this from Nicaragua, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
One of the best days we had in SJDS this time was the day we visited the San Juan Del Sur Day School. We went because a few of our friends had kids that went there and they were putting on their end of semester show. We drove up a long winding path through the jungle that was dotted with various barns and pastures with creatures in them and that ultimately opened up onto an expansive plateau with gardens and simple school buildings and all the handmade, traditional, perfect, school playground equipment you could imagine. We then watched each grade present their skit. The kids were of every age and background, from just about every continent, and the messages were beautiful. They had spent the semester understanding who they were. Imagine if more of our children started their educational journey with first understanding who they were? And in doing so, had their eyes opened to who their neighbours were. And in doing so, learned how wonderfully awesome each of us are.
The school has a scholarship program.
Nicaragua is full of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. Many of these people don’t get the opportunity at traditional education. They do very well despite this, oh boy do they ever, but the country is struggling to rise out of poverty and start to put their hands around things that we take for granted every day: potable water, reliable electricity, medical care, democracy, the ability to dream and chase it. Education, done right, is fundamental to coming up on top in this struggle because it provides perspective, nourishes tolerance, and builds self confidence.
I can assure you, even from my limited exposure, that SJDS Day School does it right.
The school offers opportunities to Nicaraguan children to be funded to attend class along side the children from all over the globe as peers. 1000$ allows a child access to this new world.
I am so grateful for the gift Nicaragua has given me. To me it’s like walking into a dreamscape where I am fully me and the more me that I am the more vibrant the colours become and there’s a warm wind the blows that gently welcomes me to dream a little bigger and chase a little harder. I want to give this to someone else.
So, will you join me? Will you help donate to sponsor a child to walk onto this idyllic plateau and start to dream big in full colour? How many children can we all work together to sponsor? I can collect all our funds and forward them to the school and then, with the school and child’s permission, I could post updates here as the year goes on. We can watch the dream unfold.
If interested, post here or email me using the email on this site’s “contact” page. Thank you for considering. Here’s the school’s link:
https://sanjuandelsurdayschool.com/donate/
